Our baby girl this week - 39 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath."

Well we are one week away officialy. We have a doctor's appointment today. Hopefully she can work some magic and help nudge our little girl along so we don't have to wait until Monday. Mark Jan is still calm as ever but I'm becoming more and more impatient/nervous each day. I'm so ready to hold her and play with her I can barely stand it. Let's hope I have some energy to do so! I fell asleep in my car this morning in the parking lot at work. I hope I can make it the rest of the day even. This little girl is sucking it all out of me. Cross your fingers she comes soon, and pray that she is born happy and healthy!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 38 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and she's nearly 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old."

Ok little girl, it's time to come out already!!!!! Doctor appointment on Thursday, we'll see what's going on then.

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Latest Update - ALMOST THERE

Ok everyone, we're almost there. we are 37 and a half weeks so that means 2 and a half weeks to go. At least that's the longest we'll have to wait. She could come early you know (fingers crossed. hehe). So we went to the doc on Thursday (yesterday) and she said everything looks great and we're ready to go that its just time to wait now. or as she said "hurry up and wait".

Yesterday evening Mark Jan and I went shopping at the baby store to get all the rest of the things we need for little ______. Now we just have to organize and put things together and we'll be all ready for her. At least that's what we're telling ourselves. I'm sure no one is completely ready for what is about to happen. As EVERYONE has told us frequently, our lives are about to completely change (even though Mark Jan thinks "it can't be that bad right?" Well it's not like I've been through this before but I think he'll be in for a surprise. hahaha.

As far as what else we're doing, the usual things. I'm takin it easy, when I'm not nesting (cleaning frenzie much!!). And Mark Jan is back into his usual role as handy man fixing this and installing that juggling a million projects at once and still doing a fantastic job on each and every one. He's mainly focusing on stuff that will affect the baby now. Like putting up a window shade in her room, and the valance. I'm sure he'll be back on the entertainment center and stuff like that in no time.

Well I guess that's about all for now. We'll send out an email when the baby is born, and for those of you that have asked, we'll call you if we can when i go into labor. so till then, start preparing yourselves for mark and lisa to change to mark, lisa, and baby (name to be stated after she's born for those of you who requested to not know!)

Lisa and Mark Jan

Belly, Belly, and more Belly

Sep 8, 2007 (36 weeks...4 More Weeks To Go!!)


Jul 29, 2007 (32 weeks)



June 20, 2007 (24 weeks)



May 16, 2007 (20 weeks...half way!!)


April 15, 2007 (16 weeks)



March 17, 2007 (12 weeks)

Our baby girl this week - 37 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Congratulations! Your baby is full-term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away. He weighs a little over 6 pounds and measures between 19 and 20 inches. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long."

WE ARE OFFICIALLY FULL TERM!!!!!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 36 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is a little under 19 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a head-down position, but if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating her from the outside of your belly."

Well, we had our last baby classes on Saturday so I guess you could say we are fully prepared. haha. i dont think anyone is fully prepared, but we've done what we can to learn as much about what it's going to be like in delivery and afterwards. Mark Jan is being great about the classes, he's actually interested in them and not annoyed that I'm making him go to them. And I can tell he's going to be a very supportive labor helper. So come on baby!! By the way she is head down so no problems there. We are just waiting for the cervix to open up and for contractions to start. Doc says I am not supposed to call her until contractions have been strong for every 5-7 minutes for an hour. that sounds pretty brutal if you ask me. But we're ready. Hurry up little girl!!!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 35 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 pounds plus. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight."

she may not have much room to move around, but she's moving what she can when she can! It doesn't ever hurt though. I love it!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 34 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies."

Little girl is more active than ever. Especially at night when I lay down she twists and turns and pokes for hours. She was also around 4 3/4 lbs 2 weeks ago so safe to say she's bigger than that now. I have a feeling she'll be big, but not gigantic like 13 lbs or something. Wouldn't that be something!!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 33 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood."

She is very very active these days. kicking, punching, rolling, you name it she's doing it. it's the weirdest feeling in the world but its the most awesome feeling as well. sometimes it just makes me smile when she's wiggling and i start thinking about whats to come. of course i'm imagining the good things...not the bad like lack of sleep and wondering if i'll be able to fit in a shower! haha. Tired has a new meaning today. i though i was actually going to fall over walking from the car to my office. hopefully i can catch a power nap during lunch or something. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Dad makes an appearance..

Well it seems one very important member of this family hasn't really had much face time on the blog here. So here is a TRIBUTE TO DAD!

Of course baby is going to be beautiful.... we know where she gets her good looks from......



Here is a pic of dad with Uncle Rolf and Uncle Dan at Uncle Bas and Aunt Nathalie's house just after their wedding in July. They're all so adorable!


And one last tribute to dad, his latest project, still not complete (he ran out of time and had to head back to Qatar), but how awesome is this!! I can't believe I know someone who can build something like this much less my husband!!! He is so awesome! Good job dad...little _____ is waiting for you to build her all kinds of things! get ready!

Baby Room Updated

Finally got the baby room set up with all the stuff we have to this point.
We're planning on hanging the blanket thats hanging on the crib on the wall once mark gets home. Also the pic hanging in the window (from Paiges mom Susan) will also get hung up. I'm not allowed to do that, need to wait for Mark Jan. He is very precise. hehe



Here is the place we'll spend plenty of time on diaper duty! We just got a changing organizer from Walter and Tessica that will get hung up tonight most likely. And also, this pic was taken before the comfy chair was brought in. That little rocking chair was used to rock my mom to sleep at night by my grandma. It has moved to the other corner since this pic was taken.


And here is a display of all the stuff that our little girl has been given so far. On the top left is one of my favs...puss and boots from Shrek 2&3 from my mom and dad. So cute. Next to him is a teddy bear with some socks that Mark's family got her. The socks are for her, the teddy is just hanging onto them till she gets here. These are officially her first presents ever at like 3 months! Then another dutchie present, the giraffe from Shane and Leighia , and the lamb from Brandi and Anthony. Seems she already has lots of people that care about her!

Baby Shower #1 - July 1, 2007

Baby Shower #1 was given by my cousin Paige and my friend Branid with some help from my Aunt Darlene and my mom. The shower was perfect of course. Great food, great fun, and great friends.

Here is me with some of the balloons:

Here is the way cool "diaper cake" that Brandi made me with all sorts of baby goodies (and a glance at the fantastic food Paige made!

And here is me and Brandi, belly to belly. She had Cameron on July 22nd!

Our baby girl this week - 32 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"By now, your baby is just shy of 4 pounds and is nearly 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb."

We went to the doctor yesterday and they said she is doing perfectly. All is well and normal and things are all set for a regular delivery. path is clear, her head is down, all her anatomy is in place, good to go. they also said she currently weighs 4 pounds 13 ounces. Which on a spectrum of the smallest baby at this point in a pregnancy to the largest baby, 50% (half way) being average, our girl is at 68%. A "Large" baby, which they would need to keep an eye on and possibly deliver early is in the 75% to 90% range. So she is in between average and large according to them and doesn't need to be watched. So all in all it looks like she is basically just NORMAL! yippy!! oh. also from the ultrasound (pics to come soon) her head is at the very bottom of my tummy, her hiney is kind of over by my right rib cage and her feet are right in front of her face with her legs going down the left side of my tummy. so basically she is just bent in half and staring at her feet all day. she's so cramped in there! no wonder they wanna be all bundled up after they come out! and man was I ever THAT flexible! haha

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Come and rub the Budda Belly!

Jul 29, 2007 (32 weeks)



June 20, 2007 (24 weeks)



May 16, 2007 (20 weeks...half way!!)


April 15, 2007 (16 weeks)



March 17, 2007 (12 weeks)

Our baby girl this week - 31 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy."

And believe me the baby is moving more than ever. not just kicking or punching, but rolling around and poking big parts out so that my tummy isn't round anymore, its all wonky from her sticking out one side or the other. It's so cool!!! We've been taking baby classes at the hostpital to prepare for little ________ (dutch folks don't know her name yet by choice so we're keeping it secret from them). So far we've taken: Infant CPR which i feel good about taking and need to show anyone who'll be watching her how to do it. Breastfeeding, which i take the second half tonight. Prepared Childbirth which tells you what to expect during labor and how to tell when your in labor, things like that. second half of that is this sunday. mark is gone so my mom will go with me to this class. then when mark gets back we'll have one more class called Life With Baby, that should prep us for seemingly simple things but you can't be overprepared right? bathing, changing diaper, cleaning the umbilical cord, etc. We're really excited and ready for her to be here. This weekend I'll get the nursury all ready to go. and start on her play room, which she might not use right away but it's also my scrapbooking room so I wanted to get a head start on it. Oh. I get my 32 week ultrasound next week so we'll get to see how the baby is growing. maybe find out how long she actually is compared to the guideline of 16 inches above. Well i guess that's all the updates for now. Till next week

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 30 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)"

I'm so excited!! Isn't it time for her to get here yet!!!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Latest and greatest

All, just an update on what's been going on the last few weeks. We had the baby shower on July 1st (pics to be posted soon). Then on July 4th Mark Jan and I met up in Holland for a visit with family and friends and for a wedding (Bas and Nathalie, Bas was the blonde groomsman in our wedding). The wedding was beautiful and also my first Dutch wedding! boy are they long! haha. We had a blast though at the wedding, and also hanging with family, and visiting friends like Gjalt, Gerreke, and Martijn (Gerreke and Martijn got hitched not too long ago!!). Once back in the states I got sick. Doc said it was a respiratory infection (did i spell that right?) and today is the first day I've felt normal all week. I didn't go to work all week either. It was that bad. So bad actually that Mark Jan and I realized it's the sickest I've been since we've been together. But don't fret, the baby is just fine. No harm done. We saw the doc on Monday and all is well. We will see her again in about a week and a half. We are at the point now that we have to see her every 2 weeks instead of once a month. And at 32 weeks I get another ultra sound so I get to take a peek at the little girl one more time before she heads our way. Well that's about it. check back soon for shower pics and an update of tummy pics (little late with this one but i think we can let me slide right? hehe)

Our baby girl this week - 29 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby is growing rapidly now. This week he weighs about half a pound more than he did last week (about 2 1/2 pounds total) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton, which is now hardening. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester."

Looks like the baby will be sucking nutrients from me big time from now on. So if i'm super tired and eating like a cow, blame it on her!! haha

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 28 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures almost 15 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can open and close her eyes, which now sport lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before she's batting those beauties at you."

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 27 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby is really starting to get big. This week he weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14.4 inches long with his legs extended. He now sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. He may suck his fingers, and although his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if he were born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on."

We are off to Holland this weekend for Bas and Nathalie's wedding. We will see family and friends. I'm excited we'll be able to share a small bit of the pregnancy with them!!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.